block by block
by kissmyquiver
Summary: youtuber AU where both mari and adrien are minecraft stans. yikes. crack
1. Chapter 1

**alright y'all. im reposting all of my tumblr-written fics here so that more people can enjoy my bullshit. come find me mlb-shit-post**

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When Marinette woke up this morning, the last thing she expected to see was her gaming channel taking off. Overnight she had accumulated half a million more subscribers, finally pushing her over the 1.1 million mark. She quickly turned to her stats, seeing that over three hundred thousand people had started to download her Minecraft skins, and that number was growing exponentially.

She squealed, jumping up and down excitedly. Her dream of becoming a professional Minecraft skin designer was finally taking off, and the subscribers on her gaming channel would only help that number to continue to grow!

She sat down in her office chair and spun side to side, a smile on her face. The overnight popularity was unbelievable. She couldn't believe that this was her life. After a second of celebration, Marinette found herself wondering, what exactly brought this spike in popularity on?

She checked her phone. Thirty texts from Alya. The first was a link to Chat Noir's new video. She clicked on it and began to watch.

DUN DUNNNNN DUN DAH DAHHHHHHH

His channel's theme song rang out, and Marinette quickly turned the volume down. It was so annoying.

Chat's little Minecraft guy appeared on the screen. "So I've been hearing a lot about this up and coming gamer named Ladybug. You guys have been mentioning her a lot in the comments section so I decided to do my homework on her and see what she's got going on."

Marinette rolled her eyes. She had seen enough Chat Noir videos to know what was coming. He was about to roast the crap out of her channel and her skins, and then he was gonna challenge her to a Minecraft survive-off and she was gonna have to prove her worth to his viewers. The videos did well enough on his channel, but for everyone else who had to do them they were a complete waste of time and effort. Chat was too good and couldn't be beat. The newfound popularity would serve her well for now, and hopefully Marinette could make the situation a little better.

Chat continued. "Truth be told, Ladybugs videos are amazing-way better than most Minecraft YouTubers. She has also already released a line of skins that I think are pretty cool, so I'll link her channel in the description below."

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. With nine million subscribers, Chat's disdain could easily end her gaming career.

"But, as per usual, I need Ladybug to prove to me that she's more than just making skins and playing on creative mode. She's gonna have to accept my challenge to fight fight FIGHT!" His little icon jumped into the air and swung his sword with every jump.

Mari got out a notepad. She was gonna have to make a response video by the end of the day, accepting whatever terms he made and countering with her own. This kind of exposure could make it break her career. She began a to do list while Chat Noir continued to talk.

"Now, the terms of this challenge are a little bit different than all of my other challenges. After binge watching all of Ladybug's videos, I have decided that I am in love with her and the sound of her voice is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard and her accepting this challenge would be a dream come true."

Mari looked up from her list, her eyes wide. "WHAT?"

"I also happen to know on very good authority that Ladybug lives in Paris too, so if I win this challenge and get the chance to take her out on a date, she won't have any reason to say no!"

Shit. She had been exposed.

"So this brings me to the terms of the challenge. First, I want this to be a survival mode game. We each will have a week of game time to prepare in the same server. No sabotage allowed, and at the end of seven Minecraft days and nights, we will meet between our two camps and face off in a fight to the death. If I win, I want to meet the rising Ladybug, and take her out on a proper date. If I lose, Ladybug owes me nothing and will receive the coveted seal of approval on her channel."

Mari looked back up at the video.

"Ladybug, you have twenty-fours hours to respond. I can't wait to meet you Buggaboo!"

Mari shuddered and looked down at the list she wrote.

1\. Make response video  
2\. Rewatch Chat's challenge videos  
3\. find Chat's weakness  
4\. DESTROY HIM  
5\. Finish new skins line ?

Chat Noir isn't gonna know what hit him, she decided, turning on the software required to film a proper response video. She turned on her microphone and started recording.

"Hi everyone! Welcome back to my channel, or should I say welcome to it! Thanks to Chat Noir and his extremely predictable challenge video, I have about a half a million new faces watching! Nice to have you guys here!" Her little icon jumped up and down wildly.

"Today my icon is wearing a Ladybug original skin, available later this fall with the release of my new download pack. Keep an eye out, because ten lucky players will receive three extra super exclusive skins!" Her icon did a little twirl to model the skin.

"Now, to address the elephant in the room." She paused. "Chat Noir, I accept your terms and raise you one more term. If I win, I want your sign off to be 'LADYBUG I LOVE YOU!' every video for the next six months. It's only fair kitty. You want a date with me? If you lose you're gonna have to pay the price for your arrogance."

Mari smiled to herself. "Set the date and the time, Chat Noir vs. Ladybug is on! Bug out!"

Marinette stopped recording and began to edit. If she could finish quickly, she could move down the stuff on her list and get this whole thing behind her faster. She grabbed her laptop and headed downstairs before plopping onto the couch. It was gonna be a long day of editing, research, and waiting for a response from Chat Noir.


	2. Chapter 2

"I think you should throw the challenge," Alya said as she threw some popcorn into her mouth. "Do you hear his voice? He sounds hot." Mari rolled her eyes.

"Ladybug," she said, lowering her voice to sound like Chat's, "I am a hot dude from another school who really wants to take you out. Lose to me so we can finally have an excuse to meet each other in real life."

Mari rolled her eyes again, this time sending them so far back into her skull she could've sworn she witnessed the creation of the universe.

"AND he already likes you, so you have nothing to worry about."

Marinette sighed. "Alya, I am not throwing this challenge. You know how competitive I get. Besides, whoever Chat Noir is doesn't know me. He likes my online persona, that's all."

"Okay, well maybe don't throw it. He just wants to get to know you, Mari. That's all! Just admit that it wouldn't be the worst thing if you lost." Alya set the popcorn bowl down beside her.

"Alya, he could be some fifty year old man with a thing for teenage girls for all we know! There's no way I'm going on any dates because of this."

Alya sighed. Her boyfriend Nino happened to know Chat Noir and he was not an old man. Nevertheless, there was no getting through to her friend once she had her mind made up.

An hour earlier, after Ladybug's response video accepting the challenge came out, Marinette received an email from Chat setting up the date and time of the fight.

 _My Lady,_

 _I am so honored that a woman as beautiful as yourself has decided to accept the challenge that will ultimately result in you falling madly in love with me;) tomorrow morning around 1130 I would be honored to live stream this for the world to see and hold us to our promises! My username is chatthecatnoir. I can't wait to find out who's underneath YOUR username;) if she's anything like she sounds, then she's the most beautiful woman in the world! I'm thinking we see a movie, take a walk through the park, and finish off the night with a stop along the seine to watch the sunset;););) can't wait buggaboo!_

 _Chat Noir_

He had then proceeded to follow all of Mari's Ladybug accounts and even the fan accounts run by Alya. This included that unfortunate Flickr account Marinette had set up on accident. Until Chat had followed she had forgotten all about it.  
Marinette was stressed out of her mind. She had less than twelve hours to binge watch all of Chat's videos to figure out his weakness. It was gonna be a long night.

The next morning came all too soon. Watching Chat's videos had little to no desired affect on Marinette's performance. In fact, she felt that by watching his account she had only contributed to the problem she was currently in by supporting the crazy person behind Chat Noir's furry persona.

Either way, Mari got up around 10 and got some breakfast. She rolled out her yoga mat and sat down. It was time for her pregame stretches. The stretches were a sight to behold. It was a cross between the US Navy's ridiculous PRT warm-up exercises and the cult favorite "Prancercise." Although not very pretty, it got the job done.

Mari sat down at her desk and cracked all of her fingers. It was game time.  
She repositioned the sweat bands on her wrists and forehead before popping open her laptop. Marinette made it all the way to the livestream website and began to set up her half of the stream. Chat had already begun, so Marinette just clicked on his name and joined in.

The screen went dark. Although no games were displayed yet, the audio transmitted back and forth.

"LADYBUG YOU CAME!"

Mari jumped. What was this kid on anyways?

"Yeah you got me here I guess. Want to start this thing a little early?"

"Oh you know it buggaboo!" Mari rolled her eyes and signed onto Minecraft.

"We're going live in three, two, one." There was a pause. "Good Morning Minecrafters! Welcome to the livestream! Today I have the honor of having the lovely Ladybug here with me! She's here to challenge me to a survival match!"  
"Hi everyone!" She greeted all of the fans that had begun to appear on the livestream.

"So right now we are about to begin! When I make the new world, as soon as Ladybug appears on the server we will begin! Remember, the rules say that we will only have 7 days and 7 nights to get ready for the big showdown! Whoever wins the big brawl dictates the prize! If I win, I get to go on a date with my lady, and if she wins, I will sign off every video by yelling 'LADYBUG I LOVE YOU!' In case of a draw, both prizes will be claimed. May the best Crafter win!"

Chat Noir opened the world up and paused it after it loaded. He added Ladybug to the mix and the split screen appeared.

"Three, two, one, go!"

Mari's fingers flew over her controls. She needed to put a little bit of distance between herself and Chat. She was gonna suck down as many resources as she possibly could in the next couple days, so she was gonna need all the space she could get.

Marinette started by collecting dirt and punching trees for wood. With only 7 days in the game, she would need to work quickly. Her goals for the first day included finding/making shelter, collecting enough wood to make a crafting table and bin, and also finding iron and coal.

Her and Chat bantered back and forth as they played, concentration showing on both of their faces. Mari worked diligently to secure her gear, creating iron armor for herself and making multiple swords. She collected lots of food as well, and she went out at night to try and cop some old enchanted weapons off some of the zombies and skeletons that roamed. Mari was taking it very seriously.  
Across town, Chat Noir's strategy took a slightly lighter tone. He would use his position to prod and poke at Ladybug, even taking 15 minutes to create a massive sign in the air that declared his love for her. It only solicited an acknowledgement response and a comment about how hard Ladybug was rolling her eyes. It didn't deter Chat. He still felt convinced that Ladybug was going to be his lady.

At the end of the 7 days and 7 nights, Ladybug and Chat Noir both made it back to the spawn point. They met in the middle and took twelve block paces backwards until they were separated equally.

"Ready, My Lady?" Char asked.

"Ready to destroy you, kitty."

Chat smiled to himself. There was no way he was letting his lady get away.

"3. 2. 1. CHARGE!" He exclaimed, running his character at Ladybug's. She yelled into her own microphone and the two youtubers clashed in the middle. With a flurry of swings, hits, and misses, the duo fought to the death.

The battle raged on and on. Mari was glad she wore her sweatbands because she was sweating so much she could barely see.

Unfortunately, both parties were pretty terrible at defense. After a lengthy fight, Chat and Ladybug lined up to deliver a final, killing blow.

"FINISH HIM!" Ladybug screamed. No way she was about to lose to some mangy furry.

CrASh!

At the same time, the words "you died" appeared on the screen, with prompts to re-spawn.

"Goddamnit," Mari cured under her breath.

"Well, well, well, my lady. You made it farther than most, but it looks like we'll be spending some time together very shortly."

"In your dreams, Chat." Fucking Minecraft stans were literally the worst. At least Mari was a _cool_ Minecraft stan.

"Hey, a deals a deal Purrincess. I didn't make the rules!" He paused and turned back to his mic to finish off the livestream. "Thank you all for joining us! This was by far my most exciting episode yet! Ladybug has earned the Chat Noir seal of approval for sure! A formidable opponent."

"Thank you for having me, kitty!" Mari died a little inside. There was no way she wanted to go on a date with whoever Chat was.

"I'll have my people contact your people, and we'll see about that date my lady. In the meantime, have a great day guys! Don't forget to subscribe to our channels. I LOVE YOU LADYBUG!" And with that, the livestream ended as quickly as it had began.


	3. Chapter 3

Less than an hour later, Mari received an email from Chat. The tone was decently flirty, but overall respectful. Before agreeing to anything, however, Marinette wanted to make sure all of her bases were covered. The situation was kind of weird. Chat Noir could literally be anybody in Paris, and she didn't want to get stuck in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation.

She responded to his email, saying that she would still go on a date with him, on the condition that he FaceTime her first. Mari included her number before logging off her Minecraft account and starting some homework. Becoming a rising Minecraft influencer didn't mean stopping high school!

An hour went by. Then two, then three.

Mari's phone screen lit up suddenly. She ignored it, thinking it was just an Instagram or Twitter notification. Her phone quickly began to buzz and she grabbed her phone.

FaceTime call from…Adrien?

She picked up right away, her hands shaking. Why was he calling her? Mari and Adrien had just now really become friends, but he was way too smart to be asking Mari for homework help, and way too busy to be taking a social call.

She clicked the green answer button. "Hey Adrien, what's up?"

"HELLO LADYBUG! THE LOVE OF MY LIFE! I CANT BELIEVE ITS BEEN YOU THIS WHOLE TIME!"

Mari held the phone farther from her face. He was so loud. "Wait," she began to put the pieces together. "Are you Chat Noir?"

He winked at her. "The one and only." Mari felt a blush creeping up her face.

"Well this is kind of weird."

Adrien scoffed. "Mari there is nothing weird about finding out one of your friends happens to be a decently famous YouTube gamer."

Mari chuckled darkly. "No Adrien. The fact that you want to go out but we're already friends in real life."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Oh Marinette, that's the least of my worries. 2000. I'll pick you up. Wear something nice. Goodbye buggaboo!" As quickly as he appeared, Chat Noir was gone. Mari had a long, minecraft-filled road ahead of her. Hopefully this was the beginning of a beautiful collab.

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 **this was physically exhausting for me to write, so if you made it this far i commend you.**


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